Life is full of 'what ifs'. Now, what if this happened….?
"Hello Frodo! Do you know if your cousin Pippin is here?"
"Wha-?" Frodo looked up to find Diamond right in his face, her blue eyes twinkling and a smile on her face. "Oh, hello Sassy. How'd you get there?"
Diamond laughed and patted Frodo on the cheek. She smirked, "You need to pay more attention to the world around you!"
Shrugging, Frodo took a mug and filled it was ale. "Enjoying the party?"
"Yes," Diamond told him, looking around the mass of Hobbits and food around her. Everyone was eating, drinking, and dancing, basically having fun. "Tell your Uncle Bilbo I wish him a happy 111th birthday! And many more!"
"Will do," Frodo said, taking a swig of ale.
"Is Pippin here?" repeated Diamond.
"He should be," shrugged Frodo. "I haven't seen him, but-"
"That's all I need to know," Diamond's sparkling blue eyes searched the party for Pippin.
"Wait!" cried Frodo, smiling. "Why do you want to find him?"
"Ohhhh… I don't know…." Diamond said nonchalantly, but the twinkle in her blue eyes and the smirk on her face told Frodo she knew EXACTLY why she was looking for Pippin.
"Well, don't kiss him too much, Diamond. He can barely take your sass, let alone your kisses," Frodo mumbled as Diamond dissolved into the crowd. He grinned. It was no secret that Sassy was sweet on his cousin, Peregrin Took (Pippin). And it was no secret that Pippin was sweet on her… but at the same time, Pippin was afraid of Sassy. Of course, it was quite smart to be a little afraid of Diamond……
"Pippin?" Merry whispered urgently, as he looked in one of the tents set up for Bilbo's 111th Birthday party. "Pip? Are you here?"
"Hello Merry!" came a voice behind Meriadoc Brandybuck.
"Ah!" yelped Merry, whirling around, coming face to face with Pippin. "Peregrin Took! I've been looking for you!"
"I'm sorry," grinned Pippin, holding a mug full of ale.
He didn't look sorry at all.
With an exasperated sigh, Merry snatched the ale of Pippin's hands, "Give me that," he took a swig, then threw the mug to the side. "Are we going to do it?"
"Do what?"
"The fireworks."
"The fireworks?"
"Shush! Not so loud! Gandalf will hear us!"
Pippin gave a laugh. "Come on, Merry! Let's do it!"
"Peregrin Took! I've been looking for you! Getting into trouble again, are we?"
Pippin and Merry whirled around to find Diamond standing behind them. She stood akimbo, a smirk pasted on her pretty face. Pippin's eyes lit up when he saw the beautiful Hobbit. Merry, on the other hand…
"Oh, no," he groaned. "It's you."
"Hello, to you, too, Merry," Diamond gave a cheerful laugh. "What are you boys doing?"
"Let's tell her, Merry!" Pippin's eyes glittered with delight.
"Fine," snapped Merry. He turned to look at Diamond and was once again struck by her beauty. Why did Pippin get all the pretty Hobbits? I mean, sure Pippin was funny and nice and smarter then most people gave him credit for, but he wasn't perfect. Merry, on the other hand, never had any girls. Of course, he had always been kind of afraid of girls. Diamond especially…..
"We're getting Gandalf's fireworks. We want to try them!"
Diamond smirked and her eyes lit up. "Sounds like fun!"
"That's my girl," Pippin patted her on the back. Hard. Too hard.
"Watch it, Took," Diamond coughed when Pippin whacked her on the back. Then another cough escaped her lips. Pippin watched Diamond's coughing fit with worried eyes.
"Hey," he said. "Are you okay?"
Diamond tried to shake her head, but couldn't. She was coughing too hard.
"Is she okay?" Merry whispered. Even he sounded worried. That was a rarity.
"Yeah, I think so, sometimes she gets these awful coughing fits," Pippin explained, looking at Diamond.
For a few more minutes Diamond coughed into her hands, practically shaking with the impact of each convulsion. When she was finished with her coughing fit, Diamond looked at her hands. Trickles of blood rested in her palms. Had she coughed up blood again? Blue eyes wide, Diamond wiped the blood on her dress before Pippin could see.
"Well, gentlemen. What are we waiting for? That firework won't light itself!"
"Who was that?"
Frodo looked around and smiled at Estella Bolger. The other Hobbit smiled back at him shyly, nervously playing with one of her nut-brown tendrils. "Hello Estella," Frodo said to her. "That was Diamond of Long Cleeves, don't you know her?"
"Oh, yes. Yes, yes, yes, of course," Estella looked around nervously. Frodo smiled at his friend softly. He was used to the way rabbit-like Estella always looked so nervous.
Like she showed in her actions, Estella Bolger was constantly nervous. Of course, she was naturally born with a nervous personality, but it wasn't just that. Sometimes conversations went on in her head. And sometimes she even saw creatures walking around. Creatures like Hobbits, Elves, and Humans... But she was always the only one who ever saw them. No one else could. Just her. It scared the living daylights out of her. Which mad her jumpier than she already was. The shy, quiet, rabbit-like Hobbit had no idea what was wrong with her. Why did she SEE these creatures?
Frodo smiled at Estella. He always thought she looked like a rabbit, kind of nervous, with green eyes that constantly searched her surroundings.
"Yes," Estella whispered, her voice barely audible. "I've met her before."
In an effort to comfort her, Frodo took Estella's hand. The two Hobbits had been friends for years and years and years.
"Frodo…"
"Yes, Estella?"
"I feel sick to my stomach."
"Are you all right?"
"No, I…" stammered Estella, her green eyes wide. "I have a bad feeling deep down inside."
Frodo frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Something's going to happen," a tear slid down Estella's cheek. "And it's not going to be pleasant."
Pippin and Merry were washing dishes as punishment.
"That'll teach you, you young troublemakers," Gandalf huffed. "Last time I'll find you in my fireworks, right?"
Both Merry and Pippin nodded miserably.
Then Gandalf just gave out a hearty laugh and shook his head. "You two amaze me. After this pile of dishes you may go."
"Thank you, Gandalf," Merry and Pippin chorused. After Gandalf left, Diamond walked up to the two boys. Like always, she was wearing a smirk.
"Hello, guys," she grinned, watching them work.
"How come you didn't get in trouble," Merry muttered bitterly.
"Because I'm a girl."
"What's that got to do with anything? You should be here doing dishes with us!"
"Ah, but I wasn't the who actually lit the firework. I stayed behind the tent and watched you two light it."
"But you urged us to do it!" Merry complained.
"No, you were going to do it whether I was there or not," Diamond's eyes twinkled. "You know that, Meriadoc."
"Don't call me that, Sassy, or you WON'T live to regret it."
Sassy turned to Pippin. "He's touchy today, isn't he?"
Pippin just gave a laugh and grinned at Diamond. "You're the only one I know who can always wiggle your way out of trouble."
"It's a gift," Diamond walked over to Pippin and gave him a peck on the cheek, then she grimaced. "Ugh. You have soap on your cheek."
"I think I'm going to be sick," Merry muttered as he stared at Diamond. She's very pretty, he thought. Very pretty indeed.
It's about time… Bilbo thought to himself. I should go up and do my speech. His hand sneaked into his pocket, just to make sure the ring was still there. A smile lit up his face. Ah, his ring. His lovely, golden ring.
"Bilbo!" a young Hobbit walked right up to Bilbo and grinned. "Tell us the story about the trolls!"
Bilbo laughed. "I sure will, little miss. Come on, now."
As the two Hobbits walked, Bilbo began his story. "And then a troll came after us…."
But something was wrong.
Dreadfully wrong.
"Lord of the Rings" was changed drastically by one little slip up. By one pocket that happened to be slightly open. Opened just enough so the ring could escape.
Unbeknownst to Bilbo, his ring fell out and landed in the grass. There, it waited for the one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Are you finished with your punishment?"
"Yes, no thanks to you."
Diamond stuck her tongue out at Merry, then turned her attention to Pippin. "I'm glad you're done now. Come! Let's get into more trouble!" the familiar twinkle was in her eye.
"Only if you take some of the punishment," Merry complained.
"Actually, Pearl said that Bilbo is going to make his speech soon," Pippin said. Pearl was his sister.
"All right," sighed Diamond. "Let's go hear what Bilbo has to say."
"I'm sure it'll be interesting," Pippin said, his voice encouraging.
It was then that the ring made its move. As Diamond, Merry and Pippin walked toward Bilbo, something caught Diamond's eye.
"What's this?" Diamond bent down and picked up a ring. She examined it closely. It's very pretty… the thought went through her head. So precious…
"It's a ring," Merry said bluntly.
"I do have eyes, you know, Meriadoc. I was just wondering what it was doing on the ground."
"Beats me," shrugged Merry. Why do I always have to be so cruel to Diamond? Merry thought with disgust.
"Hello!" Frodo and Estella walked up to Merry, Pippin, and Sassy. Frodo Baggins grinned. "Bilbo's going to make his speech soon! Better come along!"
"We will! But look!" Pippin pointed to the ring. "Diamond found a ring!"
That ring looks familiar… Frodo thought.
While her friends talked, Diamond stared at the ring. It was so beautiful it captivated her. "So precious…" she murmured. Ever so slowly, she slipped it on her finger.
Everyone's mouth fell open in surprise.
"Ack!" Pippin yelped. "Where'd Diamond go!"
Frodo stared at the place where Diamond had been. "She disappeared!"
In the bushes a pair of eyes saw Diamond disappear.
He knew what had happened. He knew that Diamond was invisible. Yes, yes, yes, he knew.
There in the bushes, the creature hissed two words.
"My precioussss….."